Choosing the right unmoderated request type

At Fable, we have two different unmoderated request types:

  1. Self-Guided Tasks
  2. Compatibility Tests

Unmoderated requests can help you check the accessibility of a digital product without having to facilitate a user interview.

An illustration of the head of a person talking on a headset and an illustration of the shoulders and faces of five people in a screen

Overview

Self-Guided Tasks Compatibility Tests
Format Video Text
Goal Understand the usability and accessibility of a single task flow. Test compatibility and accessibility of a single task flow.
Process Describe one main task for the user to complete. Describe 5-10 steps to follow in a linear task flow.
Participants 1 Tester 5 Testers
Outputs
  • AUS (Accessible Usability Scale) score
  • Video and transcript
  • Task completion rate
  • Written feedback
  • Perceived accessibility
  • Ease of use
  • Recommendation
Best practices
  • Avoid being too prescriptive.
  • Allow testers room to explore.
  • Do not include questions.
  • Avoid instructions that require vision.
  • Include only one action per step.
  • Do not include questions.

Overview

Self-Guided Tasks

  • Format: Video
  • Goal: Understand the usability and accessibility of a single task flow.
  • Process: Describe one main task for the user to complete.
  • Participants: 1 Tester
  • Output:
    • AUS (Accessible Usability Scale) score
    • Video and transcript
  • Best practices:

    • Avoid being too prescriptive.
    • Allow testers room to explore.
    • Do not include questions.

Compatibility tests

  • Format: Text
  • Goal: Test compatibility and accessibility of a single task flow.
  • Process: Describe 5-10 steps to follow in a linear task flow.
  • Participants: 5 Testers
  • Output:
    • Task completion rate
    • Written feedback
    • Perceived accessibility
    • Ease of use
    • Recommendation
  • Best practices:

    • Avoid instructions that require vision.
    • Include only one action per step.
    • Do not include questions.

Self-Guided Tasks

Self-Guided Tasks allow testers to give you video feedback while independently navigating a digital product. Review an example of a Self-Guided Task in the Demo Project.

Create a Self-Guided Task if you are looking to get:

  • feedback on a specific task flow on a website, mobile or software application.
  • a numeric Accessible Usability Scale (AUS) score
  • insights from a single assistive technology user
  • video and narration of a tester experiencing a user journey

A Self-Guided Task is not a good fit for:

  • generative research to learn about user needs
  • probing to learn why a particular task or interaction is inaccessible
  • task flows that are complex or long

Instead, run a User Interview.

Compatibility Tests

Compatibility Tests allow five testers using different assistive technologies to give you feedback on the accessibility of a task flow. Review an example Compatibility Test in the Demo Project.

Create a Compatibility Test if you are looking to:

  • test a specific task flow within your digital product
  • get feedback from multiple testers at once
  • import tester feedback to Jira Cloud
  • identify compatibility issues with specific browsers, devices and assistive technologies

Compatibility Tests are not a good fit for:

  • generative research or questions
  • non-linear or complex task flows